For Release:
July 2010 Issue:  Economic Development Journal of Mohave County

What is Legal Aid?

‘Legal aid’ is defined as free legal help for those who need, but cannot afford to hire an attorney. For most, without an attorney, accessing the justice system or mounting an effective defense is intimidating as one attempts to navigate an unfamiliar and complicated justice system.

But what happens when one cannot afford an attorney? What happens when you are faced with a legal problem and the ‘other side’ or ‘opposing party’ has legal counsel, and you don’t?

In the U.S., when an individual is charged with a crime and cannot afford an attorney, a Public Defender will provide legal representation to defend the indigent person.

But what happens in the civil justice system?

In 1974, former President Nixon signed the Legal Services Corporation Act into law which created a private non-profit corporation to promote equal access to justice and provide grants for high-quality civil legal assistance to low-income Americans. Community Legal Services’, Arizona’s largest civil legal aid program, is an LSC program, and serves five Arizona counties, including Mohave. CLS’ main Mohave County law office is located in Kingman; staff travel to Lake Havasu City to the Interagency Council offices and to the Mohave County Community Development Building in Bullhead City to provide outreach in those communities.

CLS is a non-profit Arizona law firm incorporated in1952 and provides legal services to its clients in certain civil (non-criminal) areas of the law that affect the most critical needs of the low-income community. Family Law, a large area of practice for Community Legal Services focuses on protecting the most vulnerable members of a household against domestic violence, abuse and exploitation.

Housing Law has expanded over the past few years as CLS’ legal staff sees clients facing homelessness as a result of foreclosures – and many of those facing loss of housing are tenants in homes that the landlord/owners have allowed to go into foreclosure, while still receiving rent checks from the tenants. Staff also count landlord/tenant disputes and violations of the Fair Housing Act (discrimination) as components of their Housing Law practice. Consumer Law helps protect clients’ already limited incomes against myriad of fraudulent consumer practices from auto related to predatory lending to home equity skimming. Clients who are illegally denied benefits to which they are entitled, and those who have claims of illegal employment practices may receive legal help from CLS.

CLS provides greatly needed legal services to Mohave County residents who have critical or emergency civil, legal problems which require an immediate legal response, especially where personal safety, housing, healthcare, and finances may be at risk.

Legal aid offers a permanent resolution to many civil legal problems. D’Arcy Downs Vollbracht, Managing Attorney of Community Legal Services’ Mohave County office stated, “Legal aid is an important thread in the human/social services tapestry in Mohave County. We couldn’t do what we do without the generous support of the Mohave County Bar Association and the private attorneys who volunteer their time to supplement the work of our staff.”

Note: Community Legal Services is a non-profit Arizona civil law firm providing legal services to low-income Mohave County residents with certain, civil legal problems. For more information, please visit www.clsaz.org.